Central Market Holds 23rd Annual Hatch Chile Festival

Aug 08, 2018 10:08AM
● By Ashley Madonna

It’s getting hot in Southlake, and we aren’t talking about the weather. August 8 marks the beginning of the 23rd annual Hatch Chile Festival at Central Market. Locations across the state will be celebrating the harvesting of this notable green chile pepper from Hatch, New Mexico with in-store events, cooking classes, products, recipes and more until August 21.

This celebration got a humble start back in 1995 when a single pallet of Hatch peppers made its way to Austin’s Central Market. After roasting up these unique products, customers were lining up to get a taste of these particular peppers. Their flavor profile comes from the distinct temperature changes of New Mexico – it’s hot days and cold nights build up its matchless kick.

These produce items get their name from their hometown where they are harvested only a few weeks out of the year. These bad boys aren’t grown anywhere else and are sought after by foodies around the world. That’s why Central Market purchased more than 330,000 pounds of these peppers that will be available at the nine Central Market stores in Texas.

If you want the flavor of the pepper without buying a bag of green chilies, then there are plenty of products locals can try out including Hatch Pickled Quail Eggs, Hatch Chili Queso Blanco and Hatch Baby Corn – all of which are made in Texas. There’s also Cotton Candy made with Hatch peppers from Austin and Spicy Hatch Green Chile Drip Coffee from Katz Coffee. Find your favorite Hatch product by stopping by Central Market this month. You never know what you’ll walk out with.